Emily Wilson Collection on A. R. Ammons
MS896
Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives
English
3.43
Linear Feet
1 record carton, 1 document box, 1 half-document box, 1 oversize box
1941
2021
circa 1941-2021
Emily Wilson is an author and poet that predominantly worked in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She retained a strong friendship with poet A.R. Ammons that lasted for 30 years until Ammons' death in 2001. This collection includes Wilson's correspondence, Ammons' written work, newspaper clippings, publications, research materials, book drafts, and photographs of Ammons' personal life and artwork.
Wilson, Emily Herring
Biographical Note
Emily Herring Wilson was born on June 11, 1939 in West Point, Georgia. She graduated from Woman's College in Greensboro, now the University of NC at Greensboro, in 1961 with a degree in English. After graduation, Wilson pursued an English master's degree at Wake Forest University. Wilson tauht at North Carolina's Poetry in the Schools program, UNC-G, and Salem College, as well as Cornell University at the invitation of friend A. R. Ammons. She wrote for the
<part>Winston-Salem Journal</part> and co-founded and ran The Jackpine Press with Betty Leighton. Throughout her career, she wrote many books including, <part>Hope and Dignity: Older Black Women of the South, For the People of North Carolina: The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation at Half-Century</part> and <part>North Carolina Women: Making History.</part> She released a memoir about her 30-year friendship with A. R. Ammons, <part>When I Go Back to My Home Country: A Remembrance of Archie Ammons</part> in 2019. Wilson began teaching in the Wake Forest English department and in 1964, she married then-dean of the College, Edwin G. Wilson and together they had 3 children (Eddie, Sally, and Julie).
Collection Overview
This collection documents the personal life and professional work materials of A. R. Ammons as collected by his friend and fellow poet Emily Herring Wilson. Materials in this collection include a variety of Ammons' written work, personal photographs of Ammons, Ammons' artwork photographs, book drafts by Ammons or about him, Wilson's correspondence, newspaper clippings, research materials and publications. Correspondence of Emily's husband, Dean of the College and Provost Edwin G. Wilson also appears in the collection. All mentions of Wilson refer to Emily Herring Wilson unless specified.
Preferred Citation
Emily Wilson Collection on A. R. Ammons (MS896), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for researchers
Copyright Notice
The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into two series, Series 1. Ammons materials, and Series 2. Subject files. Series 1. Ammons materials contains materials directly by or about A. R. Ammons. Series 2. Subject files also contains Ammons-related materials, but these relate to the work Wilson did regarding Ammons, including research for books, events that she contributed to, and Ammons' watercolor artworks information and correspondence. Other subjects are also part of Series 2.
Ammons, A. R., 1926-2001
Ammons materials19412018circa 1941-2018Ammons article in <part>Wake Forest Magazine</part>2001 June114Ammons artwork photographs2000149-50Ammons biographical timeline notes and related materials20012018circa 2001-2018219Ammons correspondence with WFU19711980141Ammons interview in <part>Diacritics</part> magazine197318Ammons interview in <part>Poetry Nation Review</part>1997133Ammons letters to Phyllis Ammons19471949118Ammons memorial service and celebration event materials2001 April29Ammons notes about poems1949195219Ammons photographs and negatives19791980circa 1979-1980223Ammons photographs and photocopies19412014circa 1941-201424Ammons poems19471997circa 1947-199712Ammons poetry feature in <part>Harper's Magazine</part>2017128Ammons publications and magazine materials1995201726Ammons published and unpublished poems19612001circa 1961-200122Ammons transcribed letters20002009circa 2000s14-7Ammons WFU <part>Howler</part> photograph194927"An Interview with A.R. Ammons," by Cynthia Haythe for <part>Contemporary Literature Magazine</part>1980127"A.R. Ammons's Comic Strip Glare: Literary Musings About Nothing," article by Lorraine DiCicco2005116A. R. Ammons interview in <part>Paris Review</part>1996 Summer119"A.R. Ammons' Levity" essay by Frank J. Kerfaw2011130Colombus County and Ammons family genealogy materials20072016218Correspondence between Wilsons and Ammonses19742008137"For Emily Wilson from a Newcomer" and "Catch" poem drafts1975198623Hatteras (NC) school graduation exercises and related materials19502006circa 1950-2006220"The Home Country of A. R. Ammons" N.C. Humanities Committee Conference poster1986 May42"I Went to the Summit: The Literary Bromance of A. R. Ammons and Harold Bloom," interview and essay by Roger Gilbert20082012110Jackpine Press correspondence197620061976-1982, 2006120"Lake Effect Country" by Ammons draft19801983circa 1980-1983225Newspaper clippings and articles regarding Ammons19952007222Newspaper death announcements and obituaries2001136"One Man's Trash," Dan Chiasson article about Ammons in <part>New Yorker</part>2017117"Pattern and Possibility" exhibit brochure draftcirca 200241Photographs of Ammons in different settings and artwork19532000circa 1953-2000224Scholarly articles on Ammons' poetry198820021988, 2002134<part>The Nickelodeon</part> newsletter, Ammons edits1975 March21Subject files19522021"Always We Two Together: Letters of A.R. Ammons to Phyllis Plumbo 1947-1950" draftscirca 2007122Ammons art acquisiton notice, Herbert Johnson Museums of Art, Cornell Uiversity2005113Ammons documentary video order form19901999circa 1990s129Ammons lecture review and greeting card from Vida Cox2004112Ammons letters to Phyllis Plumbo transcripts20002010circa 2000-2010126Ammons memorial service (1 VHS videocassette)2001 April31Ammons publication submission draft20182019circa 2018-2019212Ammons watercolors artwork correspondence and related materials20042019215Ammons watercolors at Saltimbanque gallery materialscirca 2002216Ammons writing workshop notes1981 June 1-13123Ammonsfest programs1998 April135Annotated bibliography of Ammons writings2017111Blog post about Phyllis Ammons2013210Book reviewscirca 2008115Campbell White McMillan, "An Oral History of My Wake Forest College Experience, 1943-1944 and 1946-1948"2001 December140Copyright materials20082013217Event programs and materials19742019151Events fliers, brochures, and invitations19812005148Fred Chappell correspondence regarding Ammons201928Helen Vendler materials19862018146John L. Remington: Ammons memories correspondence2020155Journal letter with John Charles McNeill poems1952154Ken Frazelle and Steven Stucky musical composition materials20042018214Ken Frazelle correspondence19802018213Ken McClane feature, Cornell newsletter2011 Fall124"Lectures and readings in celebration of A. R. Ammons" program1974 December132Michael McFee writing about Ammons and letter19802018221N.C. Women's Writers artwork by Anne Kesler Shields materialscirca 199235Newspaper articles and clippings19752017131Newspaper articles featuring Wilson1975201934Photographs of Phyllis Ammons, photocopiescirca 201311Publication request correspondence20062008211Richard McBride: Ammons remembrance correspondence and related documents19742021153Say Things and Gather About poetry festival materials199525WFU Poetry Review newsletters19751976125Wilson and John Ammons correspondence20142018142Wilson correspondence19792011152Wilson correspondence20002018143Wilson correspondence with Alex Fountain2019157Wilson correspondence with Ammons19731998147Wilson correspondence with Beacon Press200020182000-2001, 2018145Wilson correspondence with Phyllis Ammons19932007144Wilson e-mail correspondence2002201613Wilson interview of Romare Bearden and Maya Angelou at Reynolda House and Angelou's article "Why I Moved Back to the South"19801985circa 1980-198533Wilson manuscript notescirca 200632Wilson short biography and related information20002009circa 2000s156Wilson, "I Went Back to My Home County, A Remembrance of Archie Ammons" first draft2018 August138-39Wilson, "I Went Back to My Home County, A Remembrance of Archie Ammons" page layouts and table of contentscirca 2019158Wilson, "The Life in Words: Letters of A. R. Ammons" draftundated121